


Reconciliation

by Sylvi Turnbull (bitchinachinashop)



Series: Lifeline [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-16
Updated: 2012-06-16
Packaged: 2017-11-07 21:21:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/435584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitchinachinashop/pseuds/Sylvi%20Turnbull
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack makes an important announcement to the rest of the team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reconciliation

**Author's Note:**

> This is sort of a transitional story, bear with me!

Tosh was the only one left in the Hub when Jack finally came back from his mysterious errand. He’d been popping out of the office early in the afternoon for the past few days. No one had dared to question him about it; during the last eighteen months, he’d gone from brooding to dangerously irritiable. Tosh suspected he wasn’t sleeping at all anymore. There were shadows like bruises under his eyes, and he was never without a cup of coffee.

About a week ago, he’d shut himself up in the archives for an hour, then left the Hub without a word. They’d waited for him until nearly eight before Gwen told the team to go home. The next morning he was back, but he stayed in his office until the afternoon, when he left again. This time he had the decency to tell them to call his mobile if there was any activity; otherwise they could leave at five. He was dressed in a suit and carrying a leather case. He looked like a door-to-door salesman, but she didn’t tell him that.

The team spent the rest of the afternoon speculating about what their Captain could be up to. In the past, they would have assumed it was something sexual, but Jack had almost completely ceased to flirt since Ianto left, and he wasn’t usually shy about his liaisons. But if it was a mission, why wouldn’t he let the rest of the team in on it? Owen and Gwen eventually concluded that it must be some favour for Martha, and moved on to more interesting gossip, mostly involving celebrity antics. But something about Jack’s attitude made Tosh uneasy. Underneath the irritability they’d become accustomed to, she’d sensed another emotion. Nervousness? Excitement? Unsettling thoughts nagged at the back of her mind as she tried to join in the friendly banter.

It was probably those thoughts that encouraged her to stay late, even though she was having trouble concentrating enough to get any real work done. When Jack finally came back, she noticed a profound difference in him right away. The agitation was gone. He was still subdued, but now he seemed to radiate a sense of calm. Instead of striding directly to his office and shutting himself off, he ambled over to her desk, hands in his pockets.

“You’re here late,” he commented.

“I was just fine-tuning a program to help pinpoint Rift activity more accurately,” she replied quickly, glad she’d had time to close her solitaire window. She couldn’t remember the last time Jack had simply spoken to her, instead of barking orders.

“That’s good,” he nodded, vague but approving. “Well, I just wanted to let you know you’ve been doing a good job lately. You should go home, though. I’m calling a team meeting tomorrow and I want everyone to be awake.”

“Of course, Jack,” she responded obediently, and started shutting down her programs. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he headed toward his quarters. She wanted to feel reassured by his sudden change in mood, but the suspicion that she’d been avoiding all evening gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. Jack was leaving them again.

~

When the rest of the team arrived the following morning, Tosh was already at her computer, playing solitaire and looking stressed. When she heard Gwen and Owen come in, bantering as usual, she swung around abruptly. They stared at her.

“Jack’s leaving!” she blurted out.

“What?” Gwen gasped.

“You can’t be serious,” Owen growled.

Tosh nodded frantically.

“Alright, calm down, Tosh. What exactly makes you think Jack is leaving?” Gwen asked patiently.

She took a deep breath. “Jack came in last night around nine. He was happy. He came over and told me I was doing a good job, but to go home and get some rest because he wanted to have a staff meeting in the morning.”

“And how does this mean he’s leaving?” Gwen asked, puzzled.

“Think about it, Gwen,” Owen said cynically. “He was happy. Only two people make Jack happy: Ianto and the Doctor. And Ianto’s gone.”

“Well, maybe he’s found someone new,” she said stubbornly. Owen rolled his eyes. “Anyway, there’s no use getting worked up about it ahead of time. Jack will tell us what’s really going on soon enough.” With an admonishing look at her teammates, she flounced off to her desk. Owen and Tosh exchanged knowing looks and returned to their places as well, doing their best to pretend to work until Jack put in his appearance.

They hadn’t long to wait. Jack strode into the Hub a few minutes later, carrying a grocery sack and looking positively cheerful.

“Time for a team meeting, kids!” he shouted, loud enough for Owen to hear in the autopsy bay. “I brought doughnuts.”

They trailed after him reluctantly as he bounded up to the meeting room. By the time they filed in, a large plate of doughnuts was in the centre of the table and Jack was pouring take-away coffee into paper cups.

“Guilt offering,” Owen whispered to Gwen as they took their accustomed seats. She shook her head at him.

Finished with the coffee, Jack took his place at the head of the table, resting his weight on his palms.

“OK. I’ve got a few serious things to talk about today. I’ll start with the most difficult.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve been putting this off for too long, but I’m afraid it’s time-“

Gwen leapt to her feet. “Jack, you can’t leave! We’ve already lost Ianto. If you go too, the team will fall apart!” Her face was flushed and tears sparkled in her eyes.

“Gwen!” Jack exclaimed, visibly upset by the outburst. He came around the table and wrapped an arm around her. “I’m not leaving, Gwen. What gave you that idea?”

“Well, Tosh said…” Gwen trailed off as Jack turned to give Tosh a mock glare.

“You shouldn’t be gossiping about your boss, you know.” Returning to the head of the table, he continued. “As I was about to say, I think it’s time we started looking for a new administrative assistant. Ianto won’t be returning to Torchwood.”

“Well, duh,” Owen muttered.

“At least not permanently,” he added, and the whole team stared at him, open-mouthed. “He will be coming in for a few days to interview and train his replacement. Which brings me to my next topic: Owen and Tosh, I’d like you to start working on a new Retcon formula. The current one seems to be a bit unreliable.” He grinned like a maniac as all of them started talking at once.

It took nearly two hours and a conference call to Ianto to convince them that Jack hadn’t lost his mind. They were all happy for their Captain, but Gwen also seemed nervous at the prospect of seeing an un-Retconned Ianto. She didn’t talk much during the conference call and focussed on her doughnut as Jack gave them the details of the ex-teaboy’s re-awakening. He strategically left out the part where he’d been knocked flat in a flower bed.

For herself, Tosh was sad to hear that Ianto had decided not to come back to Torchwood. He was the closest thing she’d had to a kindred spirit, and she had been terribly lonely since he left, despite her improved relationship with Owen. But at least now they would see him socially, if the Captain could manage not to screw things up a second time. She was sure Owen would organise an office pool about that in no time flat.

And the most important thing was, for the first time in a year and a half, Jack was smiling.

  
-

  
Ianto stood in the Plass for several minutes on Tuesday morning before working up the courage to go on to the tourist office. He was trying to recapture the feelings he’d had when this was his daily routine. He woke up every morning before dawn and came here to gaze at the inscription on the Millennium Centre as the first rays of light hit it. It was his way of centring himself, preparing for whatever chaos he would have to deal with that day.

It just didn’t feel the same. He stood staring at the letters until he finally realised what was different. He didn’t need to steel himself for the day anymore. He didn’t need to be the calm epicentre of the Hub, impassive and unmoved. Most importantly, he didn’t have to pretend not to be madly in love with Jack.

Jack loved him. He was still getting used to the idea, and every time he thought it, a thrill went through his entire body. A more cynical part of him said that Jack would probably change his mind as soon as someone more interesting came along, but for now it was enough. No point in worrying about the future when the world could end any day, after all.

In fact, the world could have ended at any point during the last three days and he would have died happy. Jack had used every moment he could spare away from the Hub to try to make up for the past two years. They’d spent most of the weekend just cuddling and watching movies. Jack hadn’t tried to press the issue of sex at all, which must have required extreme discipline on his part.

When they finally did make love on Sunday night, Jack was more gentle, though no less passionate, than he’d ever been. He’d kissed and caressed his lover’s body as though he were trying to absorb him. Ianto lost himself in the luxury of those strong, rough hands softly stroking his skin, the taste of Jack’s lips on his, the feel of them everywhere else. He held Ianto tight while he made him come, whispering how much he loved him and that he would never let him go again.

But the best part was having Jack hold him afterward while he slept, his warm body wrapped around him. He was still there when Ianto woke from a deep, dreamless sleep, staring at him with wonder. When the Captain went to fetch coffee for him, he laid in bed, relishing the warmth and smell of his lover still lingering among the sheets.

When he arrived home from work on Monday, every available surface was covered with flowers, filling the house with a perfume that didn’t quite mask the smell of the horribly burnt supper Jack had tried to prepare. Ianto laughed as he placed a take-away order at the Italian place round the corner. Jack uncorked a bottle of wine and proceeded to tell him racy stories while they got tipsy. Then he took him to bed and set about re-enacting the best of them.

And that glorious weekend had brought him here, to the door of the tourist office. Jack had insisted on meeting him up here, on the pretence that the access codes had changed, although he probably realised that Ianto had memorised the entire rotation.

He was grateful for the support. Facing the team again, especially Gwen, was going to be tough. He was fairly sure he’d forgiven her- she had been devastated by Rhys’ injury, and he knew how it could be with Jack. Still, forgiving her in the abstract and seeing her again in person were two different things.

With each step down the hall from the tourist office, the butterflies in his stomach grew more aggressive. He grasped Jack’s hand a little tighter for reassurance. When they reached the hatch, Jack turned and kissed him softly.

“Just remember: I love you, and I’m right here. Everything will be OK.”

Ianto nodded, the butterflies slightly mollified by the power of Jack’s kiss. The heavy door rolled open and he stepped forward into the damp, cave-like air of the Hub. He felt like he was stepping into the past. Mwfanwy circled overhead. He was pleased to see she looked well. At least someone- probably Tosh- was looking after her.

Gwen, Owen and Tosh were lingering in the sofa area, making small talk and trying not to look like they were waiting for him. Tosh rushed over at once and gave him a crushing hug, eyes shining.

“Missed you,” she said, smiling up at him. Ianto smiled back, and felt his own eyes growing moist. He hadn’t realised how much he’d missed her, too.

“Oh, bollocks!” he exclaimed suddenly, turning to Jack. “I just realised, I’m going to have to re-name the cat.”

Jack chuckled. “He named his cat after you while he was Retconned,” he explained to a startled Toshiko. “You should be flattered- she’s a very pretty Siamese.”

Tosh blushed. “I suppose there’s worse things to be than a cat.”

Owen stepped forward next. “Good to see you again, mate,” he said, shaking Ianto’s hand firmly. “You better not have named any pets after me.”

“Nope. Don’t have much use for a ferret,” Ianto grinned.

Gwen hung back at the edge of the group, eyes downcast. Ianto went over and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hullo, Gwen,” he said.

“Hullo, Ianto,” she replied, looking up at him through black eyelashes. “Ianto, I’m so sorry.” Tears began to streak down her cheeks.

“I know,” he said quietly. “Look, Gwen, now Jack and I have made up, I don’t see any reason we can’t, too. I understand what happened, and I trust you and Jack not to let it happen again.”

She nodded tearfully, and he hugged her. “I almost ruined everything,” she sniffled in his ear.

“No, you didn’t,” Ianto admonished her lightly. “If it weren’t for you, Jack would probably still be in the dark about how indispensable I really am.”

She laughed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Now, I want to hear all about this wedding of yours. I understand it was quite the dramatic occasion!”

“Oooh, wait ‘til you see the pictures! Jack in a tux, very James Bond…” She dragged him off to her desk to go over every last detail.

Jack leaned against the wall, arms folded, watching the scene. Ianto was here, he and Gwen were OK, the whole team was together again. For now, all was right with his world.

**Author's Note:**

> For Anna, always.


End file.
